'BJP to win all 15 seats in Karnataka bypolls,' says Deputy CM Ashwath Narayan

Deputy Chief Minister Ashwath Narayan has on Friday expressed confidence regarding the upcoming by-elections in Karnataka saying that BJP will win all 15 assembly seats. After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) kicked off its poll campaign in Karnataka on Friday, he targetted the opposition stating that "there is no coordination in the Congress". The Congress last week had accused the BJP of being "opportunistic and power-hungry" and said that the people of Karnataka will "give a befitting reply" to its decision to give tickets to former Congress and JD-S MLAs. Speaking on the opposition, Narayan also said that "both Congress and JDS were indulged in a war of words. There is no coordination inside the Congress. Siddaramaiah is alone in the Congress party. Congress and JDS will never come together again," he said. 

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"We do not forget anybody in our party. We have given responsibility to every leader and will work under target which has been set. BJP does not need to win eight seats, we require only six seats. But, I am confident that we will win all the 15 assembly constituencies," he said to ANI. 

Read | People of Karnataka will give BJP a befitting reply: Congress

16 former Congress-JD(S) MLAs join BJP

Earlier last week, 16 out of the 17 rebel MLAs joined BJP in a ceremony graced by Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, BJP state president Nalin Kateel and BJP national general secretary P Muralidhar Rao. Welcoming all of them, Rao said that their joining the party would help deliver a stable and development-oriented government in Karnataka. He revealed that they took the decision to join BJP after the SC's verdict on Wednesday, November 13.

Bypolls in Karnataka

A total of 15 Assembly constituencies in Karnataka are going to bypolls on December 5 and the counting of the votes has been scheduled for December 9. The date for filing nominations for the bypolls to the 15 Assembly seats in Karnataka are from November 11-18. The elections to the 15 Assembly seats were earlier slated for October 21 but later postponed to December 5 by the Election Commission (EC) as the case pertaining to the disqualification of 17 MLAs was pending in the Supreme Court. 

Read | Disqualified Karnataka MLAs to join BJP on Thursday

Read | Chronology of events in Karnataka MLAs disqualification case